


All I Needed

by galactic-pirates (stillsearching47)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/M, Gen, Prompt Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-01 18:58:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8634184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillsearching47/pseuds/galactic-pirates
Summary: When Emma told her high school sweetheart Neal, that she was pregnant a month before graduation, she didn’t know what to expect. The last thing she expected to find was a family, and a place to call home.





	1. Setting up the Nursery

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt verse. Mostly Swanfire at the moment, with a side of Rumbelle. Prompts welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Leni-ba_ prompted for the 'Spite-prompt-a-thon' - "Setting up the nursery"

When Emma had told her high school sweetheart Neal, that she was pregnant a month before graduation, she hadn’t known what to expect. She knew Neal pretty well and had expected that after the initial shock wore off, that he would be very supportive. It was his father’s reaction that Emma worried about. Mr. Gold had a fearsome reputation and Emma had imagined he would be furious. Therefore nobody was more surprised than Emma herself, to be standing six months later watching Neal and his father struggle with furniture for the nursery.

Emma had grown up bouncing around the system. When her foster home had learned she was pregnant they had thrown her out. She had called Neal in tears, not knowing what the hell she was going to do. Ten minutes later Mr. Gold’s iconic Cadillac had pulled up to the bus stop where she was sheltering. Ten minutes after that Belle - Mr. Gold’s wife - was fussing around her and getting her a nice hot cup of tea.

“Please say here is good,” Neal pleaded, as they finished dragging the heavy wooden cot into a different position.

“Oh I don’t know,” Emma teased. “Maybe I prefer it back where it was before.”

Neal rolled his eyes and straightened, looking round the room in satisfaction. “I think that just about does it - for the heavy lifting anyway.”

“Ah, our turn then.” Belle smiled at Emma, brushing past her with a stuffed toy in each hand.

Emma looked round the nursery again, shaking her head slightly almost in disbelief. The room was freshly painted, a neutral cream with blue highlights as they still weren’t sure if it was going to be a boy or a girl. A lot of the furniture had been in storage, having been Neal’s when he was a baby. Neal’s father had lovingly restored it all himself.

Contrary to Emma’s fears, Gold hadn’t been furious, he had been incredibly supportive. She had been living with the Gold’s for six months, and she and Neal would be living with them probably for at least another year, until they saved up the money for a place of their own. However, Emma knew that Gold was in no hurry for them to leave. He would be happy for them to stay indefinitely, the house was large enough, and he did keep hinting that they could still go to college.

“Go on then, out,” Belle ordered playfully, making shooing motions.

“I’ll have you know I have excellent taste,” Gold told her.

Belle smiled lovingly at him and kissed him softly. Emma grimaced, that was the one downside to living with Neal’s father and step-mother, they were besotted with one another. It was sweet, but if the town ever snuck a candid camera in the house, then Gold’s reputation would be utterly destroyed within an hour. Honestly Emma had never met another couple so completely in love with another, especially after five years of marriage.

“Put the puppy by the crib, that’s my favorite,” Gold suggested as he followed Neal out of the room.

Emma saw Belle roll her eyes, but she wasn’t at all surprised when Belle placed the cuddly puppy in question, by the crib as Gold had said. Just then, the light caught on the engagement ring on her finger. Emma rubbed the ring gently, she couldn’t think of a nicer family to marry into. She didn’t have a family, so she was building her own. Growing up she’d run from place to place, but home is what you’d miss, and Emma knew that meant she had finally found her home.


	2. Breaking the News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Leni-ba_ prompted - "Belle  & Gold - so how did you take the news of Emma's pregnancy?"

Neal re-read the text that his girlfriend Emma sent him for the tenth time. _‘Meet me. Park. Our Spot. After School.’_ His mouth set in a grim line, something wasn’t right. He dawdled getting his coat from the locker, and checking what books he needed to take home, for as long as he dared. Emma was often prickly, and being abrupt was nothing new, but this text had just set an alarm bell going off in his mind.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and set off for the park. When he rounded the curve in the park, and saw Emma waiting beneath their tree, his heart sank. She was bouncing impatiently as she waited for him, her expression pinched. They were graduating next month, and they hadn’t spoken much about the future. He was planning on taking a year off before college, and Emma hadn’t even applied as she couldn’t afford it. She was going to preemptively break up with him and he felt his heart break a little at the thought.

“Hey Emma,” Neal greeted in a subdued tone.

He leant in to kiss her in greeting and Emma flinched away. Neal swallowed hard, if Emma wanted to break up with him that was her choice. He would respect her choice, but that didn’t mean he would just accept what she said. He would make one impassioned plea for her to reconsider and then he would let her go.

“I’m pregnant,” Emma said suddenly.

Neal’s jaw dropped and his mind stuttered to a stop. Out of everything he had expected that Emma might say, that hadn’t made the list. His mind raced and he tried frantically to put his thoughts in order. Emma was looking at him, her expression guarded and Neal took a deep breath. He might not know what to say, but perhaps he should lead with that. Emma always did best with absolute honesty.

“I’m a little shocked,” Neal admitted. “What are you thinking?” Emma looked away from him and Neal touched her arm gently. “Hey, it’s alright, whatever you think isn’t wrong.”

“I’m not getting rid of it,” Emma stated defiantly. Her lip trembled and she took a ragged breath, clenching her fists to maintain control. “I know I probably can’t keep it but ...”

“Why not?” Neal asked without thinking, but then warming to the idea. “You know I love you Em. This wasn’t planned but ...”

“You’re not serious?” Emma interrupted, giving him an incredulous look.

“Why not?” Neal repeated softly. He chuckled lightly. “I thought you were breaking up with me and I was preparing an argument, to beg you to reconsider. This? This is earlier than planned but I do love you and I want a future with you.”

“We’re eighteen, we’ve got nothing. Nowhere to go, just that old beat up yellow bug, you are ridiculously proud of,” Emma pointed out.

“Hey I paid for that myself,” Neal reminded her with a smile. “Besides some people only have the backseat of a car.” Emma snorted, their child had probably been conceived in Neal’s backseat. Neal took a risk, slipping his arm round her. Emma leant against him, their foreheads touching. “It’s not going to come to that though. My dad ...”

“Is going to go crazy,” Emma finished, shuddering lightly.

“I don’t think so,” Neal disagreed. “Come home with me tonight and we’ll tell him together.”

“Tonight?” Emma squeaked. “Don’t you think you should tell him yourself?”

“He’s not going to bite your head off Em.” Neal rolled his eyes.

He knew his dad had a reputation around town as being a beast, he was the original town monster who snarled and growled and never gave extensions on loans or rent. However, to Neal, he was just his dad. He had grown up on the other side of the issue, he knew the other side of it, and he knew it was just business. Although, Neal did have to admit to himself that if Belle hadn’t come into their lives when she had, then that might not have been the case. He’d been twelve, and turning into an angry teenager.

He and his dad were both stubborn, and it didn’t take much imagination to believe that they would have been estranged by now, if not for Belle’s patient mediation. When he and his dad had fought, Belle had gone between them, with no judgment getting them both to calm down and see the others point of view. Even if his father did react badly at first, which Neal doubted, then Belle would talk to him and he would soon calm down. Honestly, his dad marrying Belle was the best thing that had ever happened to their family.

Emma looked very uncertain and nodded reluctantly. “Alright, but no matter what I’m not getting rid of it. I’ll put the kid up for adoption if necessary but ...”

Neal silenced her fears by pressing his lips against hers. He kissed her softly, lovingly, and felt her relax against him. “It’ll be fine,” he promised. “No matter what, I’ll be with you.”

*****

When Gold got home that night, after a full day at the shop, he wasn’t surprised to see Emma was there. Neal had been bringing Emma home for dinner at least once a week since they’d started dating. Belle was certain that the relationship was serious, and had playfully told him to be nice, seeing as Emma could be his daughter-in-law one day.

He hadn’t intended to be this late, and dinner was almost ready to be served. Neal and Emma were sitting at the table ready, while Belle was preparing to dish up. Gold smiled at his son, and nodded in their direction in greeting. Belle had her back to the kitchen door and he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She twisted and he gave her a lingering kiss.

“Good evening sweetheart,” Gold murmured.

“Sit, or this will burn,” Belle told him, kissing him again briefly on the cheek as he reluctantly pulled away.

Gold wanted to help but there was nothing for him to do, so he sat at the table as Belle instructed. Usually Neal looked amused at the affectionate display between him and Belle, and Emma looked faintly uncomfortable. However, tonight they both looked nervous. Gold frowned, seeing that they were tightly holding hands. Something wasn’t right.

“So ... do you have something to tell me?” Gold arched an eyebrow.

Graduation was in a months time, and if Belle was right about how serious they were, then perhaps Neal had asked Emma to marry him. He had hoped that his son would talk about it with him first, but maybe it had been a spur of the moment proposal. He could hardly blame his son for that, his proposal to Belle had been much the same. It had felt right and the words had just fallen from his lips.

“Promise you’ll think carefully before you get angry,” Neal started, his face screwed up with apprehension.

Gold’s gut clenched, that was never a good way to start a conversation. He looked over at Belle, who shrugged, she was just as in the dark as he was. Now, probably wasn’t the best time for a conversation like this. Dinner would be ruined, but they had a microwave for if it went cold, and Gold wasn’t prepared to wait for answers.

Belle finished dishing up, but left the plates on the counter, so they weren’t staring at them. She slipped into the seat next to Gold, and grabbed for his hand under the table, holding it tightly. Gold squeezed her hand in thanks, she was his greatest strength and with her by his side, no matter what Neal said, they would deal with it together.

“I promise,” Gold said calmly, feeling anything but calm. Neal glanced at Emma, giving her a look of pure love, which didn’t help Gold’s anxiety levels.

“Emma’s pregnant,” Neal admitted quickly.

Gold’s breath caught in his throat. The kitchen fell silent, the ringing of the electrical appliances suddenly ear-splittingly loud. He forced himself to take a deep breath and think it through like Neal had asked. Pregnant, he was going to be a grandfather. The moment he framed it in those terms, Gold became aware of how hard he was squeezing Belle’s hand. He relaxed, and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in apology. She was looking at him with concern, though it nowhere near matched the trepidation in Emma’s eyes.

“I don’t want to say the wrong thing here,” Gold said slowly. “So tell me how you feel about it first?”

Neal looked questioningly at Emma, who nodded slightly to give him permission. “This might not have been planned but Emma and I love each other. We want to keep the kid, we want to be a ...”

“A family,” Gold finished.

“You’re not angry?” Emma checked, looking at him in clear disbelief.

“Well there’s not much point is there Miss Swan?” Gold pointed out. “What has happened, has happened and nothing is more important than family.”

His instinct had been to rant and rave, about how irresponsible they had been, about how this could ruin their lives. However, the moment he had thought of the child as family, his rage had popped like a balloon. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his son, and screaming at him wouldn’t change what had happened. They needed his support. In the past he would never have controlled his temper long enough to think it through. However, five years of being married to Belle had taught him to think before he flew off the handle.

“See Em, I told you that dad would be fine with it,” Neal said encouragingly.

Emma looked at Gold, like she didn’t understand him at all. “I guess,” she mumbled uncertainly.

“Well who wants dinner before it goes cold?” Belle suggested brightly. “I know there’s still likely a lot to discuss, but everything seems better on a full stomach.”

Gold smiled lovingly at her. “Excellent idea sweetheart. I’m starving.”


	3. Through the Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _ghostwriter107_ prompted "Neal and Grandpa cooing over the baby through the hospital window."

Neal’s eyes were bright and exhaustion was the furthest thing on his mind, as he stared in awe through the window into the hospital nursery. The cliché phrase ‘babies came in their own time’ had never been more accurate as Emma went into labor at dinner time yesterday. It had taken all night before their son finally took his first breath, and wailed his welcome to the world. They’d only been able to hold him for a short time before the hospital staff had whisked him away.

“They’ll be enough few inches of snow by the end of the day,” Gold murmured, his hands planted on his cane as he stared out of the outside window, at the end of the corridor, while they waited.

Absently Neal tore his eyes away from the internal window, which looked into the hospital nursery, to glance at the sky. It was 6am and the horizon wouldn’t begin to lighten for another hour, but he could see that his dad was right, the sky was heavy with another blanket of the white stuff. Neal jumped as Gold put a hand on his shoulder to steady him, and he practically vibrated under his fathers gentle grip. Any minute now his son would be taken into the nursery and Neal couldn’t wait to see him again.

“Reminds me of when you were born,” Gold huffed in amusement, his eyes growing distant as he cast his mind back eighteen years, seeing not this hospital corridor but another.

“I thought that kinda sucked,” Neal said frankly, craning his neck to try and see through the door on the other side of the nursery. Surely they had to be coming soon, how long did it take to weigh and clean up a baby anyway?

“The occasion wasn’t as purely joyous as this one,” Gold allowed. “But I know how you feel right now. When they brought you into the nursery, I was so single-minded about seeing you, that I completely missed the cleaning cart. Tripped over it and sprained my wrist, didn’t feel a thing. It wasn’t until the nurse pointed out it had swollen to twice it’s size that I realized.”

“Bet _she_ wasn’t happy,” Neal noted.

“She had a few choice words,” Gold agreed.

“Dad, dad.” Neal grabbed Gold’s arm, his face splitting with a grin as the nurses door to the nursery opened.

A nurse walked in carrying a baby and Neal thought his heart was just going to explode from love. That was his son, he fancied that he could tell that, even if it wasn’t for the large name tag pinned to his blanket. The words rolled around in his head, _‘that’s my son’_ and Neal imperceptibly shook his head in disbelief. Emma was amazing, and he was pretty damn great himself, but how had they made something this perfect? He felt like pinching himself, unable to believe that this was happening, that he had a _son_.

“He has the Gold hair,” Gold murmured. “You were the same, full head of spiky dark hair.”

“He has my eyes,” Neal said proudly, pressing his face against the glass.

“He’s perfect Neal,” Gold muttered thickly.

Neal tore his eyes away from his son for half a second, to glance at his father. His dad looked besotted and his eyes were misting. Neal’s grin widened even more, so much that his face ached. He and Emma were going to have their work cut out for them, to stop ‘Grandpa’ from spoiling their son too much. Though to be honest Neal wouldn’t have it any other way. Life really didn’t get any better than this.

“Yeah he is,” Neal agreed, a hint of wonder creeping into his tone. That was his son - his _son_!

“Did you settle on a name in the end?” Gold asked a few minutes later.

“What? Oh yeah, yeah we did,” Neal replied absently. In his crib his son waved his tiny fist as he squirmed and Neal was entranced.

“Well?” Gold prompted after a moment.

“Oh right erm yeah, we’re calling him Henry,” Neal told him, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. It was hard to think about anything else, when all he could think about was how amazing his son was. “We talked about a lot of names, you know that, and I thought we were going with Charles ...”

Gold’s breath caught, and Neal spared his father a quick knowing look, before his eyes were magnetically drawn back to his son. Gold’s eyes had been damp already, but hearing that his grandson had nearly been named after him, was a step too far. Neal heard him sniff and pull his handkerchief from his pocket. He knew what that would mean to his dad, just the fact that they had considered it.

“In the end though, we decided to go with a name that neither of us had any connection with. Something that was just Henry’s.” Neal gestured towards the nursery.

“A fine choice,” Gold breathed. “I’m going to go find Belle.

Neal nodded, watching Henry wriggle in the crib. “Ok dad. I’ll be right here.”


	4. Not Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _ghostwriter107_ prompted "Grandpa Gold showing Emma how to walk a colicky baby while singing something wonderful".

Emma was quite literally at the end of her rope. The absolute miracle of Henry had worn off slightly when reality had bit. If she had thought she had known exhaustion before, she had been very wrong. This kind of bone-deep weariness wasn’t something a good cup of coffee could fix, not that she could drink coffee anyway while she was nursing. The books said it was fine, and that only trace amounts got into the milk but she was eighteen and paranoid about doing it wrong.

She felt like a livewire about to snap and Henry had been crying for hours, and nothing she did soothed him. Neal had volunteered to stay up with him, so that she could get some sleep. However, Neal had work in the morning and it didn’t seem fair. When Henry slept, she could sleep at least in theory. Quite often she was too wired to relax, or too afraid to close her eyes and she would have to get up to check on him. She’d taken to sleeping on the couch in the nursery, so she only had to look over and see his little chest rising and falling.

“Henry, please,” Emma begged, as she roamed around the ground floor of the salmon Victorian.

His little face was screwed up, and red from the effort of constant wailing. He wouldn’t eat, he wouldn’t sleep and she was terrified. He was still so tiny, he was only three months old and the crushing weight of the responsibility had never felt heavier. Her head snapped towards the stairs, at the sound of the wood creaking. Emma bit her lip, tears springing unbidden to her eyes as she saw Gold appear.

“I’m sorry if we’re keeping you up,” Emma apologized quickly.

Gold smiled softly at her. “No need for that,” he murmured. He held out his arms. “Let me try?”

Reluctantly Emma handed Henry to his Grandpa. She felt like it was her job to soothe him, it was her responsibility and if she let someone else, then she was failing as a mother. It also wasn’t fair, it was 3am and Belle and Gold had work in the morning just like Neal. Not that they ever complained, and this was hardly the first middle of the night feeding/crying session where Gold had joined her.

She chewed on her lip and leant against the wall, too tired to stand but too restless to sit. She watched as Gold gently put Henry down on the table, his little legs and arms flailing in his agitation. Gold wrapped the blanket around him securely, before lifting him back up and holding him against his chest.

“We’ll try this first,” Gold said softly, his voice deeper and his brogue more pronounced than normal. “Swaddle, rock and sing.”

“Sing?” Emma repeated dumbly.

Gold shrugged. “As a man my chest rumbles more when I speak, the vibrations can soothe.”

He rocked Henry on the spot, as opposed to the pacing Emma had been doing earlier. Belatedly Emma realized that was probably because pacing would be difficult for him, without his cane. Instead of singing, he just murmured nonsense, frowning slightly and Emma felt a surge of empathy. The ear-splitting wail made it hard for her to think as well, perhaps he couldn’t remember any words to a song. She stifled a hysterical laugh. If the citizens of Storybrooke could see the fearsome Mr. Gold now, soothing a colicky baby at 3am, it would send more than a few into shock.

“Ah ok,” Gold murmured softly. “I used to sing this to your father when he was a wee boy.” He took a deep breath before beginning. “Sleep weel, my bairnie, sleep. The lang, lang shadows creep, the fairies play on the munelicht brae an' the stars are on the deep.”

Emma blinked, she wouldn’t call that singing exactly. It was a poem, not a song but Henry’s breathing hitched and she held her breath. A moment later he wailed again, and she closed her eyes, for a brief second she had hoped. She took a deep breath, letting Gold’s words wash over her, and then Henry hiccoughed and finally, blissfully, stopped crying. She opened her eyes, and stared at Gold in a mixture of disbelief, utter relief and guilt. Then she burst into tears.

She felt hands on her shoulders and let herself be guided to the kitchen table. What felt like a second later, but was actually a couple of minutes later, a steaming cup of fruit tea was in front of her. Then an arm was round her again, and a box of tissues, and Emma didn’t know why she was crying but everything was hard and she was so tired. She grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes, shakily trying to catch her breath. She turned and saw that it was Belle who was with her.

“I’m sorry,” Emma cried. “I didn’t mean to disturb you too.”

“Oh hush,” Belle said soothingly. “This is what family is for. Cal’s with Henry. I want you to drink your tea and then go up to bed. If Henry needs anything more tonight, we’ll take care of it.”

Emma shook her head, that felt wrong with every fiber of her being but she was too tired to argue. Belle’s tone was gentle but firm, and Emma sagged in acquiescence. “Ok,” Emma muttered hollowly.

“I don’t want to see you out of bed before nine,” Belle said, steel in her tone.

“Ok,” Emma repeated, sipping at her tea. “But if there’s ...”

“If there’s a problem we’ll wake you,” Belle interrupted. “You’re a brilliant mother Emma, but let us help you, please. You’re not alone.”

Fresh tears prickled at Emma’s eyes once more. It was hard for an orphan to believe but Belle was right. As a child she had longed for a family, and now she had more family than she’d ever dared dream - _she wasn’t alone_.


	5. Their Own Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Oncer4Life69Dearie_ prompted "do Gold and Belle ever get to have sex? or get to be alone?" Takes place about a month after _Breaking the News_.

Gold classified himself as a practical man, who liked to be prepared for all eventualities. His wife Belle had been known to call him a paranoid pessimist, before lovingly kissing him and metaphorically rolling up her sleeves to help him with whatever he was doing. When Emma had moved into the salmon Victorian, Gold hadn’t thought twice about it. Emma needed a home, she and Neal would likely be married one day and she was having his grandson. It had come as a surprise to both him and Belle, when she had broached the subject a few days later, that he really hadn’t thought through the implications.

“Cal,” Belle started slowly as she walked into the pawnshop.

“Yes?” Gold looked up from the ledger he was looking through, that tone of voice only meant one thing, Belle wanted something.

His eyes flickered to the clock, it was early for lunch and he didn’t think they’d had anything planned. He wracked his brains but he couldn’t think of anything he’d forgotten. Still there was something about Belle’s expression which made his gut feel leaden, he was certain he was in trouble. Belle must have read his expression because she smiled, and her hand covered his in reassurance.

“Nothing’s wrong, we just need to talk,” Belle told him.

Gold chuckled lightly. “Saying ‘we need to talk’ rarely bodes well sweetheart.” He looked over at the door and saw Belle had already flipped the sign, which didn’t help his anxiety. “Do you want a cup of tea?”

“No thanks,” Belle replied, as she followed him into the backroom. Gold took a seat on the cot, and to his relief Belle curled up next to him. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be too bad. “It’s about Emma and Neal.”

“What about them?” Gold frowned. “Are Emma’s foster parents causing more trouble?” He added sharply.

“No, no,” Belle said hastily. “Nothing like that. It’s just the house.”

Gold’s frown deepened along with his confusion. He looked at Belle quizzically and she rolled her eyes, bringing up her hand to softly cup his cheek. He turned into her palm and kissed her wrist, his expression softening. They’d been married five years and sometimes he felt like he loved her just a bit more every day.

“They need their own space Cal,” Belle explained. “It was alright when it was just Neal. He was just a teenager living at home, but now he’s half of a couple. He’ll probably be spending many more evenings at home, now he doesn’t have to go out to see Emma ...”

“They need their own space,” Gold finished, finally latching onto the problem.

He was stunned, the problem seemed so obvious now that Belle had raised the issue. He couldn’t quite believe that he hadn’t thought about this, the moment he had brought Emma home. Neal’s bedroom was large enough just for him, there was room for all his belongings, a desk for homework and his television was on his chest of drawers. Belle was right, it wasn’t suitable for a couple and Neal and Emma would likely be living with them for some time.

“We need to give them their own suite of rooms,” Gold decided. “Their own living room, a nursery for the baby, perhaps an office work space.”

“You might have to have a clear out,” Belle teased. She pretended to gasp in horror, smiling with amusement.

Gold tried to scowl but his lips twitched and he gave up. “I have plenty of storage options that aren’t the house. It’s just the house was convenient and we didn’t need the rooms before for anything else.”

“I know.” Belle kissed his cheek. “Let’s talk to them both tonight and see how they’d like everything arranged, and work out what they’ll need.”

“Agreed,” Gold murmured, his mind racing with all the considerations.

“Good, I’m glad that’s settled,” Belle said firmly. She smirked at him. “Now that it is ...” Gold blinked, one moment she was sitting next to him, and the next she was straddling him. His hands automatically moved to her waist, his mind now spinning with far more personal and pleasurable considerations. “I need to get back to the library,” Belle noted apologetically. “But I want you in the right frame of mind for later.”

“Oh?” Gold arched an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eye.

Belle shrugged and curled her hand into his hair, lightly scratching the back of his neck making him shiver. “Mmm, all afternoon I want you thinking about us. Having to wait, the anticipation ...”

Unable to wait another second Gold pressed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply. Belle hummed happily. By the time she pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. She winked at him and stood up. Gold watched her leave and shook his head. He really loved his wife. Their need for one another hadn’t been diminished in the slightest by five years of marriage. Teasing each other during the day was something that happened on a fairly regular basis.

Although more than once that had led to them not being able to wait until they got home. There was a reason he’d kept this cot back here. His eyes flickered to the clock. He’d give it an hour and then he’d drop by the library on his way back from lunch, whisper a few naughty remarks and make her blush. Two could play at this teasing game.


	6. Bonding Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _ifishouldvanish_ prompted a scene of Gold and Emma bonding over the baby.

It had been a rollercoaster of a couple of months. Emma thought that she had probably existed in some permanent state of shock, ever since the stick had said ‘pregnant’ therefore changing her life forever. She had always known that Neal would support her, but his father had been a big question mark. Emma had been certain that the fearsome Mr. Gold would do everything in his power to make her life hell. Instead she’d found herself welcomed into the family.

At every turn, Gold hadn’t acted how Emma had expected, it was like he was determined to surprise her. Therefore it was less of a shock than it probably should have been, to turn the corner into the hospital waiting room and see him sitting in a chair in the corner. Neal had a job interview, which she had been adamant that he didn’t miss and Belle was in bed with a migraine. Emma had thought that she’d done a good job masking her disappointment, that she would have to go to the first ultrasound alone, but as a recurring theme lately - she should have known better.

“You didn’t have to come,” Emma opened, mentally wincing at how defensive she sounded.

Gold had opened up his home, and been nothing but supportive and accepting, which was perhaps the problem. She couldn’t trust him, as she couldn’t believe it. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop, to finally find the catch because this couldn’t be real. Sooner or later it would fall apart, and it would hurt even more because she had started to hope. Hope was dangerous.

“I can leave if you wish,” Gold said stiffly, his cane softly tapping against the floor as he twirled it between his hands.

Emma shifted, suddenly finding that she didn’t want that. This might be awkward, and weird, but Gold had made the effort, he had put himself forward and she found that she couldn’t reject him. He wasn’t even her second choice, but he was here and she wasn’t alone. That hollow, empty feeling, which had been haunting her since this morning disappeared.

“Stay ... Grandpa,” Emma teased.

Gold blinked and nodded, a genuine smile crossing his face. “Grandpa,” he murmured.

“Emma Swan?”

“That’s me,” Emma said automatically, tensing as the nurses professional eyes slid from her over to Gold. Emma swallowed, wondering if the judgment she sensed was her own paranoia, or actually present. “My boyfriend couldn’t make it,” Emma blurted out, feeling the need to explain.

“Father-in-law,” Gold added. “Or as good as. I trust that’s not a problem?”

“Not at all,” the nurse confirmed. “Follow me.”

As Emma followed the nurse down the corridor, she felt all her nerves come back a hundred-fold. When the stick had said ‘pregnant’ she had felt stunned disbelief, when the doctors had confirmed it, she had thought that she had accepted it. Her life had certainly changed fairly dramatically since then. However, it suddenly dawned on her that she was about to see her baby, to hear it’s heartbeat and nothing was more real than that.

In a matter of minutes, Emma was laying on an exam table, her shirt pulled up and cold gel smeared into her skin. Gold hovered to her left, shifting his weight and rubbing his fingers together on top of his cane. Emma glanced at him, seeing a muscle twitching in his jaw, and she realized that he was nervous. Not for the first time she wondered why Neal didn’t have younger half-siblings, but now didn’t seem like the right time to ask.

“I’m Doctor Whale.”

A young blonde-haired man introduced himself, as he entered the room. He snapped on a rubber glove and spared Emma a brief glance, before turning his attention to the equipment. Emma was grateful for his abruptness, she wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries, her throat felt far too tight, fear creeping over her. She had allowed Neal to sell her on the idea of a future together, but what did she know of being a mother?

“Alright, here we go,” Whale said, pressing the ultrasound wand against the very slight bulge in her stomach. It was so early that she wasn’t really showing, but Emma could detect the changes, especially on her thin frame.

Emma fixed her gaze on the monitor, the swirl of white on black didn’t look like anything recognizable. Then, a reassuring thud echoed through the room, a whooshing sound and Emma’s breath caught in her throat. Whale nodded in satisfaction and Emma felt herself relax, she hadn’t consciously realized how afraid she’d been that something was wrong up until then. Next to her, Gold took a step forward, craning his neck to peer at the monitor.

“My grandchild’s doing well?” Gold stated, with just the hint of uncertainty.

“Very well.” Whale nodded. “It’s too early to determine the gender ...”

Gold negligently waved his hand. “That’s no matter, so long as they are healthy.”

Tears prickled at Emma’s eyes and she mentally snarled. She never cried in public, and barely ever in the company of others. She swallowed the lump in her throat and glanced at Gold. “Can you ... can you see them?”

“Here.” Whale pointed but Emma hadn’t asked him.

Gold’s expression softened further and he hesitantly reached for her hand. Suddenly Emma was fiercely grateful that Neal had that interview, and that Belle was sick. She loved Neal and Belle was so warm and kind, she made it easy. However, Gold was like her, he was prickly and reserved around people that weren’t Neal or Belle. With a start Emma realized that she could probably now count herself in that group, Gold was reserved around people that weren’t _family_. He had called himself her father-in-law, or ‘as good as’, and talked about ‘his grandchild’.

It wasn’t just the reality of her babies existence she faced today, it was also that she could trust Gold. She might find it hard to believe but his actions spoke for themselves. Emma’s expression twisted in amusement, as she wondered what Gold would think if he could read her mind, and knew that she felt that they were ‘bonding’. However, as he helped her find the image of her baby on the monitor, she thought that he probably wouldn’t mind at all. In fact, that might even have been what he intended when he came here today.


	7. Nothing Left to Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Oncer4Life69Dearie_ prompted "what do Belle and Gold do when they are alone? any kids on their horizon?"
> 
>  **Warning:** Infertility mention.

Life was a series of moments. It was the big moments that people tended to remember, but Gold cherished the quiet moments the most. He divided his life into three categories; before-Neal, before-Belle and after-Belle. The ‘after-Belle’ time now included over five years of marriage, in addition to the several months they’d dated. He loved spending time with Belle no matter what they were doing, but quiet nights in, curled up on the couch together was a firm favorite.

It took some juggling, but he’d managed to work out a method for going through his paperwork on the couch one-handed. Very occasionally they watched a movie together, but Belle’s preferred entertainment would always be books. A perfect evening together, was Belle snuggled firmly against him, with his arm draped round her. He only ever got half as much done, as the amount of time spent would suggest, because Belle liked to read aloud quotes she particularly liked or give commentary. It was one of her many endearing habits.

Gold leafed through the contract he was perusing, the sound of paper shuffling the only noise in the room. Sometimes they put on background music, but they hadn’t bothered today. Neal and Emma were upstairs, comfortably ensconced in their own sitting room. Splitting the house had only taken a couple of weeks to organize. His credit card had got a good workout but it had been necessary and it made everyone happy.

“Cal,” Belle opened.

“Yes sweetheart,” Gold said, feeling her twist to look at him. She put her book down and so he moved the contract papers to the coffee table. “What is it?”

“You haven’t talked about it,” Belle said softly, her eyes darting between his ear, his mouth and his chest, anywhere but his eyes. Gold looked at her questioningly, none the wiser as to the problem. “The ultrasound,” Belle added quietly.

“Ah,” Gold breathed in immediate understanding.

He had talked about the ultrasound of course. He still had a printout in his jacket pocket, and had spent more time than he probably should have staring at it in the shop. His mind felt like it was stuck on a loop, unable to believe that could be his grandchild. It felt like only yesterday Neal had been a baby himself. However, as much as they had all talked about the ultrasound as a family, he and Belle hadn’t talked about _it_. He hadn’t known what to say, how many times could you talk about the same thing? There was nothing left to say.

Belle’s hair covered her face, and gently he pushed it back. Her expression was purposefully blank, only the slight set in her jaw betrayed her emotions. Gold wrapped both his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. With Neal being twelve when they had got together, they had decided to try for a baby as soon as they got married. However, after a year they’d seen a doctor and that had been the end of that.

“I don’t know what you want me to say sweetheart,” Gold muttered awkwardly, he always felt so powerless in these moments.

“Do you think she’s guessed?” Belle asked, her voice muffled with her face pressed against his chest.

Gold frowned, trying to puzzle out what Belle meant. “Emma?” he suggested. Belle murmured in agreement and he sighed. “I don’t know, does it matter?”

Belle shifted to look at him. “I don’t want her to think our acceptance was because of it.”

“No it’s because they are family,” Gold agreed.

It was like there was a division in his mind, the two situations weren’t connected. That was his grandchild - their grandchild, nothing more and he knew Belle felt the same. Belle snuggled closer, seemingly content with his response. Maybe she would speak to Emma about it, maybe she wouldn’t. Gold dropped another kiss on Belle’s head. There was nothing left to say.


End file.
